There has been an increasing demand for flexible and formable light-emitting structures. Certain prior art structures, such as OLEDs (Organic Light-Emitting Diodes), are known to have quite flexible active light-emitting layers. Similarly, light blocking layers, such as Liquid Crystals combined with polarizing surfaces, can be flexible. However, the electrodes used in these devices that need to be optically transparent may severely limit the ability to bend, stretch, flex, fold and/or form these structures. Many problems may occur if the electrodes known in the art, such as transparent conductive oxides like ITO, are bent too much, bent in two different directions at once, or formed over a complex 3D (three-dimensional) surface. Problems such as cracking and delaminating are common.
It is also desirable to make touch-sensitive flexible and/or formable light emitting devices. A typical example is the dome light of an automobile or a desk or reading lamp in a home or office. The ability to adjust the lighting conditions in a luminaire or other lighting device by touch interaction adds safety, convenience, usefulness and aesthetic pleasure.
Existing solutions for light adjustment in lighting devices are limited to buttons, switches, dials and touch surfaces separate from the lighting source. This detaches the user input from direct adjustment of the light source and limits intuitive control.
A means of giving a user direct and intuitive control of the light source adjustments is beneficial to industry and commerce.